With the addition of Cornell University, Princeton University, Dartmouth College and eight other institutions, Say Yes to Education now has 54 participating schools, the Associated Press reported.

The Say Yes program is best known for providing free tuition to eligible high school students with financial need. Founder George Weiss announced the latest additions Wednesday in Washington with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a graduate of Dartmouth.

"Say Yes has always been about hope," Weiss said. "By standing with Say Yes, what these private colleges and universities are saying is that our students will have the same opportunities as anyone else in this wonderful country of ours."

Also joining the program is Hamilton, Pomona and Rhodes colleges; Vanderbilt, Rice and Denison universities; Paul Smith's College of the Adirondacks and the University of South Sewanee.

The Say Yes program, based in New York City, was started 26 years ago with small concentrations of student, but shifted to larger cities in 2008. In Syracuse, Buffalo, NYC and Philadelphia, students attending public or charter high schools can receive social and academic support with the promise of college tuition after graduating.

Private institutions can also participate in the program by waiving tuition for accepted Say Yes students. The program pays the tuition from local donations by making up what the student owes after grants and scholarships.

Say Yes has gained a lot of traction and it also goes hand-in-hand with President Barack Obama's higher education reform plan. In August, Obama took a two-day bus tour and stopped in upstate New York to address students about his proposal to make college more affordable and accessible.

Private institutions involved in Say Yes will typically accept applications from students whose families earn less than $75,000 per year. Dartmouth raised that limit to $100,000 and, along with Cornell, Rice, Rhodes and Sewanee, will cover room and board in addition to tuition fees.

"Higher education remains one of the clearest paths to the middle class in this country, and it must be within reach for anyone willing to work their hardest and earn their degree," Gillibrand said.